Barton's Legacy
by West Wind
Summary: Two Preventer agents show up to inform Catherine that Trowa was injured in an accident during a training outing, but there is more to it than a mere accident.
1. Chapter 1

Barton's Legacy

By West Wind 

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** Two Preventer agents show up to inform Catherine that Trowa was injured in an accident during a training outing, but there is more to it than a mere accident.

**Disclaimer: Don't own the world of Gundam Wing just like to visit.**

~ Chapter 1 ~

The two solemn men stepped out of the car and surveyed the city of tents.  The blond zipped up his Preventer jacket to keep out the cool fall wind before they went in search of the person they were here to get.  

"Excuse me," politely said the blond to one of the passing people.  "Do you know where we can find Catherine Bloom?"

The man pointed them in the right direction and the blond thanked him for his help before the two Preventers headed in that direction.

"You're going to tell her, right?" murmured the second Preventer as he toyed with the end of his braid.  "You're better at that sort of thing than I am, Quatre," he added as he glanced around uncomfortably.

"Yes, Duo, I will tell her when we find her," Quatre assured.  

The brunet nodded; unusually quiet, but Quatre did not blame him.  He was not looking forward to their task either.

After a few more inquiries, they found Catherine.  

"Miss Catherine Bloom?" Quatre said interrupting the woman from her work.

"Yes," she answered eyeing them. 

She became instantly suspicious at the sight of their jackets.

"What can I do for you?" she prompted.

"Well…" Quatre slowly began.  "It's Trowa.  He is in the hospital and in bad shape."

"Which hospital?" Catherine demanded.

"We are here to take you to him," assured Quatre.

Catherine nodded.

"Let me get some things then we can go," said Catherine.

The two men agreed to wait, and Catherine packed quickly.

The two retraced their steps back to the car with Catherine right behind them.  Duo slipped behind the wheel.  Quatre offered the front seat to Catherine, and he took the back.

"What happened?" she asked the question that had been on her mind since they first told her.

It was obvious by the hard-set expression and pursed lips that she was trying not to let her fear and worry for Trowa show in their presence, but it could be heard hanging in her voice as she asked for information.

"Training run went wrong," Quatre stated.  "He was out with the cadets on a three day training exercise.  We are still not sure on the details, but something caused the ammo truck to explode.  Trowa and a few of the cadets were caught in the blast and thrown.  When we left to get you, they had just gotten to the hospital, and on last update they had taken him into surgery to tend to his leg.  We do not know much more than that."

The car occupants fell into silence from then on.  Duo halted at the gate of the local airport.  He flashed his identification card and was waived on through.  Duo snaked his way through the rows of buildings until the found the Preventer hanger.  He parked the car by the shuttle they would be taking to Preventer Head Quarters.

Quatre helped Catherine settle in as Duo ran through pre-flight check.

"We are cleared," Duo called back to the two.  "Make sure you are fastened in!"

The shuttle smoothly crept out to the runway.  Once Duo received final clearance, he set the shuttle into motion.  It quickly built speed as it traveled down the pavement until it no longer touched the earth and was moving through the air.  Rapidly Duo piloted the shuttle higher into the atmosphere and set it on course for home.

A half-hour into the trip Catherine slipped into the co-pilot chair.

"How much longer?" she asked.

Duo glanced at his watch.

"About an hour," he answered.

A soft hum was the only sign from Catherine that she had heard.  Her eyes were focused out the window and into the blue sky that enveloped them.  Duo glanced back behind him realizing it had been a while since he had heard any comment from Quatre.  

Quatre was strapped into his reclined seat.  His blond head leaned to one side and his jaw hung slightly open.  The slow rise and fall of his chest attested to his status.  

"So how long has Quatre been out?" Duo asked the girl beside him.

"Since not long after we took off," Catherine answered.

"Well, he has been up for close to 24 hours," Duo commented without anymore explanation.

Catherine did not ask but started studying the pilot.

"We have met before," she questionably stated.

"Yeah, we had a brief encounter once," Duo said cocking a smile at her waiting to see if she remembered.

Her eyes continued to sweep over his features as she tried to match them with a memory.

"You were dressed in black…" she began.

Duo nodded.

"You were the first one to find Trowa," she announced as the memory of Duo seeking the amnesia inflicted Trowa resurfaced.

"That would be me," Duo grinned.  "Duo Maxwell," he introduced himself, "and my partner bearer of bad news is Quatre Winner," he added motioning with his thumb behind him.

"I have meet Quatre before," she said and briefly was lost in memories.

Duo noticed her unfocused look.  His thoughts turned to the fact of how much Trowa meant to her.  It was evident from their one meeting and the few comments Trowa made about his "sister."  He hoped that Trowa would pull through.  

"So what have you been doing since our previous encounter?" she asked breaking from her trance.

"After helping to save the world twice," he started with an impish grin and a playful wink that caused Catherine to form a small smile, "I settled down for a while on my home colony with a friend of mine, Hilde.  We had a small salvage and repair shop for a few years till she got married.  After that, I said yes to join the Preventers, when they came a calling.  I have been traveling space and earth on Preventer business since.  How about you?"

"Nothing different.  I travel performing with the circus," she shrugged.  "Do you think he is alright?" she nervously asked.

"I don't know," Duo said quietly.  "He is a fighter, and if you are at his side, I am sure he will pull through."

Silence fell between them after that until Duo could not stand it any more.

"Any hobbies?" he asked.

"Not really," Catherine answered.  "I don't have much time for them."

Duo nodded and searched for another topic to fill the silence and was soon entertaining Catherine with various anecdotes from his life and of his fellow pilots'.

"What awful things are you telling her about us?" teased Quatre with a twinkle in his blue eyes as he stood between the two chairs with a hand resting on each.

"It's been nothing bad," she smilingly assured Quatre, "but very entertaining."

Quatre grinned back and asked how close they were.

"I just made contact with the tower, and we will be landing soon," Duo answered.

"I guess I should buckle back up," Quatre said before returning to his seat.

"May I stay here?" asked Catherine.  "I have never seen a landing from this perspective."

"Just strap in," jauntily said Duo.

Catherine secured herself to the chair and prepared for landing.

Duo banked the shuttle to obtain the correct approach for landing.  The shuttle nose pointed down and started to descend.  The ground was quickly before them, they leveled out, and the wheels touched the runway.  They slowed and taxied to where the man in the tower instructed Duo to go.

They got out to find a vehicle waiting to take them to the main building to get Quatre's car.  The three piled in, and the driver speed off causing them to lurch forward.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catherine, Duo, and Quatre inquired about Trowa at the nurses' station.  The white uniformed woman on the other side of the desk checked her computer screen for the answer to their questions.

"He is out of surgery," she answered, "but visitors are not permitted."

"She's his sister," Duo pointed out trying to help.

"You have to have the doctor's consent," she insisted.

"Where do I find the doctor?" Catherine asked anxious for news on her brother.

A tall man in a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard interrupted them.

"Excuse me, are you here to see Mr. Barton?" he inquired.

All three acknowledged that they were.

"This way, please," he said as he turned and strolled down one of the halls.

The three exchanged confused looks, but followed the man anyway.

He ushered them into a small room and asked them to sit.  He closed the door behind him and took a seat.

"My name is Dr. Peterson.  Lady Une told me to be expecting you," he started as his brown eyes swept across the trio.  "Your friend was pretty bad when they got him here.  Lacerations covered his body and his leg was mangled.  There was some internal bleeding and a skull fracture.  He lost a lot of blood before getting here.  The catscan shows no brain damage, but there is some swelling.  The internal bleeding stopped on its own so we did not have to operate because of that, but we had to work on the leg for quite some time resetting it, finding the splintered pieces, and reinforcing it with metal micro mesh.  Mr. Barton is currently in stable condition but has not regained consciousness.  Given time he should get better baring any major complications."

The three held their questions till the doctor pause in his recount of Trowa's injuries.  

"Any idea when he will come around?" asked Quatre gently.

"No," Dr. Peterson answered shaking his head.

"Can I see him?" asked Catherine.

"Yes, follow me," the doctor said.

He led them through the tan halls to Trowa's room.  One man and one woman in Preventer uniforms stood on either side of the door.  The two guards saluted Quatre and Duo before the group entered. 

Quatre and Duo exchanged questioning looks but did not say anything until they could talk to Lady Une about what was going on.  They did not want to upset Catherine more than she already was if there was no cause.

Catherine was immediately at Trowa's bedside.  She clasped his hand in hers and stroked his long fingers.

"Trowa?" she sadly said and dropped silent.

Trowa barely looked like himself.  He was pale, almost pasty looking.  Tubs were running around him and into his nose and mouth.  An IV was in one arm.  Small cuts covered his body and a monitor on one side of his bed beeped steadily noting his condition.

Dr. Peterson placed his hands on Catherine's shoulders and said, "Talk to him, let him know you're here."

The two Preventer agents watched wordlessly as the doctor offered her a chair and walked toward them.  Catherine pressed her cheek against Trowa's hand.

"Trowa, I'm here waiting for you to wake up," she cooed.  "You know you can't leave me.  It would make me so unhappy," she said with tears rolling down her eyes.

"I think we should let her have some time alone with him," the doctor said to Quatre and Duo, and they agreed.

Duo cast one fleeting glance at the woman beside his friend's bed and wished there were something he could do to help.  However, no one else could help you work through grief as Duo well knew.  He grimaced as he followed the other two out. 

"I have other patients to see," Dr. Peterson said once they were in the hall.  "I will stop by later."

Quatre and Duo nodded, and the doctor walked away.

"I'm calling Lady Une and find out what is going on," Quatre told Duo.

"I bet that's not the only reason you want to call her," teased Duo with a wink.

Quatre slightly blushed and grinned back at Duo not denying anything before searching for the nearest phone.

Duo shook his head at his friend and collapsed into one of the hallway chairs to wait his return.  Duo hoped Quatre could find out what was going on.  Lady Une's fiancé could generally weasel information out of her, but even Quatre had his limits to what confidential information she would confide in him.  

Duo let his eyes droop closed while he waited and focussed on the sounds around him.  There was the rustle of cloth as one of the Preventer agents shifted in his/her position and rings and buzzes emitted from the nurses' station down the hall.  Someone passed pushing a cart toward the elevators and was followed by the ding announcing the box's arrival and the sound of the doors sliding open.  Soft murmuring voices drifted out of the surrounding rooms as others visited their loved ones. 

Duo's eyes darted open when a set of footsteps stopped by him.

Quatre dropped into the seat beside Duo with a large sigh that carried foreboding.

"Not good news I take it," softly said Duo to Quatre.

"No," Quatre mouthed with brow creased in concern.

Duo's eyes hardened as he braced himself for what bad news the blond had for him.

"What is it?" questioned Duo leaning close after scanning the hall.

"It was no accident," Quatre whispered just on the verge of hearing.

Duo's eyes widened in shock, as the implications of that statement became clear to him.

"Do we know…" Duo began before Quatre interrupted him.

"Motive is unknown at this moment," Quatre said.  "They are still looking into it.  Lady Une will give us the details when we get back and as she gets them."

Duo knew that was all he would get form Quatre and stared at the opposite wall as he contemplated the situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You have been though worse," Catherine murmured to Trowa's still form, yet there was a bit of doubt in her mind to that fact.  This was the worse she had ever seen him.  "I know you will pull through.  I want to see your green eyes silently regard me once more," she sniffled before breaking down into tears. 

She laid her head on his chest and whimpered as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Oh, Trowa…" she cooed.

After watching her brother do nothing but breath for an extended period of time, Catherine whipped away her tears.  She squared her shoulders and prepared to face the world as she moved to the door with one last look at Trowa.

Duo and Quatre sat down the hallway with serious looks on their faces as Catherine emerged from the room and walked toward them.

"What now?" she demurely asked.

Duo glanced at Quatre to answer.

"We are to get you settled someplace and then report to HQ," Quatre answered.

"She can crash at out place," suggested Duo of the house he shared with Trowa and Quatre.  "She can stay in Trowa's room until we get him home.  Unless that would bother you?" he asked Catherine.

"No, that will be fine," she answered.

With their plans decided, the three set out to their house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "His sister settled?" Lady Une asked as Duo and Quatre entered her office.

"We put her in Trowa's room," answered Duo.

"When we left she was getting settled in," added Quatre.  "We told her one of us would come back later and take her back to the hospital."

Lady Une seemed satisfied with their report.

"So what's going on?" Duo blurted out.

"I will tell you once every one gets here," she sighed.  "Wufei and Heero are on their way up."

With Lady Une's indication, the two men took seats.  Wufei and Heero joined them upon entering.

"Gentleman," she began, "you all know Trowa has been injured in an explosion."

The four nodded their heads indicating they did know.

"Well, the investigation team has determined that it was not an accident.  They have found traces of a detonation device in the rubble."

"Timer or remote?" asked Heero.

"Remote," she coolly answered.

"That means the perpetrator knew Trowa and the others would get caught in the blast," declared Wufei almost coming out of his seat with his since of justice flaring.

Lady Une motioned for Wufei to stay seated.

"Most probably," she said.  "We are speculating that was his/her intention.  What remains to be seen is who the actual target was.  There are several possibilities," she added as she leaned against the front of her desk looking at the four men before her.  "From witness accounts, the theorists think Trowa was the target but don't know a motive.  If it is because he was a Gundam pilot, then you four might be in danger too, so keep your eyes open," she warned.

"That is why there is a guard on his hospital door," said Duo.

Lady Une nodded.

"We figured it was the best course of action," she solemnly said.

"I don't want any of this information to leave this room," she cautioned knowing they would hold their tongs.  "We don't know where the perpetrator is, or how he infiltrated our security to set the device.  You four are to see what you can come up with on the case."

The four men signaled their understanding and acceptance of the assignment.

"I will personally forward the information you need to each of you.

"That's all," she said to dismiss them.

The four silently walked out of the office.  Quatre, the last to exit, gave Lady Une a reassuring smile as he pulled the door shut behind them.  None of them looked at each other as they progressed down the halls of Preventer HQ to Heero and Duo's office.  Others in the hall shied away from the group instinctively at the cool, silent, determined presence emanating around them.

They dispersed around the small office to discuss their plan of action.

"Game plan?" asked Duo unusually solemn.

"We keep the guards on Trowa until we get him home," started Quatre.  "If he was the target, they might try again."

Wufei, with elbows resting on his legs and folded hands tucked under his chin, nodded his agreement with Quatre's statement. 

"How about the other's?" asked Duo.  "Are there guards on them?"

Quatre nodded.

"Those that survived," answered Quatre solemnly, "have guards."

"Without Lady Une's reports we don't have much to go on," stated Heero.

The others agreed.

"Until then, we can start reviewing records for any sign of infiltration," Heero continued.  "I think one of us should keep an eye on Trowa."

"What about Catherine?" asked Duo.  "If they are after Trowa, might they go after Catherine?"

The others considered his point.

"That is a possibility," said Quatre pondering that aspect.  "She is probably safe for now, especially staying with us, but it would not hurt to keep a close eye on her.  Whoever is watching Trowa could watch her since that is where she will most likely be."

"Sounds like a plan," said Heero.  "I'll start with the computer system.  Wufei, you start reviewing security tapes.  Quatre, you check with Lady Une and start discreetly asking questions."

Wufei and Quatre nodded acceptance of their assignments.

"And Duo," said Heero turning to the braided man, "you get the first shift in watching Catherine and Trowa."

"We said one of us would be back later," Duo shrugged acknowledging his mission.

With a beginning course of action plotted, the four went their separate ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "Catherine," called Duo upon entering his house.

There was no response and immediately he was ready for trouble.  His hand went instinctively to the gun holstered under his jacket, and he slid silently along the wall as he moved from room to room. 

Peering around the doorframe, there was nothing unusual in the living room.  He slipped into the room, eyes quickly darting to the various possible hiding places.  He checked the windows making sure they were still locked.  Deeming it clear, he repeated the process with the entire downstairs.

With the first floor secured, Duo moved up the stairs.  He made it up with only a few creeks of the wooden steps.  The first room was his.  It looked just the way he left it.  He poked around in his closet and under his bed even though a person would have to be very small to fit under it, not to mention all the junk he or she would have to displace.

He checked Quatre's room, the den and the bathroom before checking Trowa's room.  Trowa's door was slightly closed, and he slowly eased it open before slipping in to find Catherine was curled up asleep on the bed to his relief.  He continued his search of the room to ease his own mind before glancing back at Catherine.

Catherine lay there questioningly watching Duo.

Duo slipped his gun back into its holster, placed one hand on the back of his head and looked at her sheepishly.

"Everything is secure," he grinningly teased. 

Catherine sat up watching him curiously.

"Didn't mean to wake you," he apologized shifting his weight.

"Everything meet with your satisfaction?" she asked.

"Sure did," chirped Duo before slipping out of the room and back down stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catherine watched Duo retreat from the room.  It was obvious to her there was more going on that they were telling her.  Trowa was cautious, but she truly doubted they checked the house with drawn weapons every time they came home.  She would find out what was going on in time.

Catherine yawned and stretched feeling refreshed.  She needed the nap after the day she had had, and now she was ready to go back to the hospital.

She trekked downstairs in search of the braided man.  She found him in the kitchen making a sandwich.  

He looked up from his task, smiled, and asked, "You want a sandwich?"

Catherine's stomach growled at the idea of food and it made Catherine realize how hungry she was.

"That would be nice," she smiled.

Duo nodded and fished out two more pieces of bread.

Catherine watched him work while he whistled an upbeat tune.  

Trowa had talked some about his housemates but never in great detail.  She really should have come out to visited Trowa and meet his friends before, but Trowa would drop by every so often and the circus kept her busy.  It just never seemed like the right time she though with a sigh.

"What do you want on it?" Duo asked.

"Just lettuce and mustard," she answered.

Duo placed the desired items on the sandwich, put the second piece of bread on, and cut it diagonally before placing it on a plate.  He handed Catherine the plate and sat down at the table.

Catherine followed and sat across from him.  She took a bite out of one half and studied Duo as he munched away.  His brown bangs drooped over and around his heart shaped face with violate eyes peering out between the draping spikes.  She wondered how he could see well enough to fight with the jets of hair in his face, but she also wondered that about Trowa.

_"If his hair is that long braided, how much longer is it when freed from its confines?"_ she wondered as the item in question swayed pendulum like behind him.  

She pushed her assessments aside and asked what she wanted to know.

"What kind of danger are we in?"

Duo looked at her mildly shocked.

"Danger?" he asked.

"Something's up," she said.  "The guards at Trowa's door and you prowling around the house with a drawn gun says there is something to be concerned about."

"You won't stop asking till I tell you," Duo said after assessing Catherine's determined expression.

"Nope," Catherine said stubbornly.

Duo sighed and carefully weighed his words before speaking.

"We don't know much at this time, and I can't tell you all that I do know," Duo began.  He held up his hand to forestall Catherine's objection and continued.  "I will tell you that it looks like the explosion was not an accident.  We do not know who or why but are trying to find that out.  Don't tell anyone else about it though," he warned.

"I won't," she said glad to know just the little bit he had confided in her.

"Do you want to go back to the hospital now?" Duo asked.

"When I get done with this," she said indicating her sandwich.


	2. Chapter 2

Barton's Legacy

By West Wind 

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** Two Preventer agents show up to inform Catherine that Trowa was injured in an accident during a training outing, but there is more to it than a mere accident.

**Disclaimer: Don't own the world of Gundam Wing just like to visit.**

~ Chapter 2 ~

Quatre walked back to Lady Une's office, and her secretary informed him that she was in a conference for the next hour.  Quatre nodded and changed his goal to the forensic department to see what he could learn.

Quatre pushed open the door marked forensic lab and casually entered.  

"Quatre, nice to see you," Mark greeted looking up from his microscope and smiling at the blond.

"Hey, Mark.  How are thing going?" Quatre asked the man in the white lab coat. 

"Busy all of the sudden, and I bet that is what has brought you down to my hidden domain," Mark smiled.  "People only venture here when they need something."

"I have come down numerous times just to chat," Quatre voiced his defense. 

"That you have, Quatre, my boy," agreed the older man.  "But, you have that look about you today of I need info."

"There you would be correct," sighed Quatre.  "Do I even have to tell you what I want to know?"

"No," said Mark as he got off his stool and walked to his desk.

After riffling through a stack of folders, Mark pulled out the one he was looking for.  He opened it on the island lab bench in the center of the room.

"I figured you or one of the others would be down here eventually, so I put together the info I currently have," Mark said spreading the information out.  "Here are photos of the area of the explosion, and here is one of the devices.  Most of it was destroyed in the blast, but you can see here and here," he used his pencil to point out the items of interest, "where the signal receiver was and the ignition mechanism.  My guess is that the bomber created the device to produce just enough energy to set off the rest of the ammo in the truck, like a fire in with the fireworks.  BOOM!  No real control of the direction of the explosion, but if someone is close enough, that does not matter.  They will be caught in the blast like your friend."

Quatre nodded at Mark's explanation.

"Any information on the parts used to make the device?" Quatre asked.

"I have a list of the items used or that I suspected were used," Mark said.  "The list with any information to the part is in the folder." 

"Anything else you can tell me?"

"The person was not a professional but knew enough to accomplish his goal.  The device was more a scrap together at home concoction than what someone doing this kind of thing day in and day out would use.  The receiver was taken out of a standard communication device.  Much like we use on the field."

"Really," said Quatre contemplatingly.

"I think the other information in here is self explanatory," Mark said as he gathered up the papers and handed Quatre the file.

"Thanks," said Quatre accepting the item.  "I never asked you anything about this," Quatre added with a wink.

"You never do," Mark returned.  "Just stopped by for a visit."

Quatre smiled before heading back out the way he had entered.  He glanced at his watch.  Lady Une should be out of her meeting any time now.  He would try getting in to see her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Duo escorted Catherine to the hospital.  The guards allowed them to enter Trowa's room.

There was no change in Trowa's condition, and Catherine seemed almost disappointed.  He still lay there pale and attached to a variety of items.  His breathing was steady, but that was the only physical sign to indicate he lived.

Catherine took a seat by Trowa's bed.  In a sisterly manner, she pushed the errant strands of hair into their original homes.  Her fingers lingered over his bruising cheek.

"You just would not believe all that has happened at the circus," she began pulling her hand away from his face and placing it over his.  "We stopped at some new places.  The people loved us!  We performed sold out shows for three nights at the new colony within L1.

"Then there are the new acts," she said and launched into a detailed explanation of them for the unconscious man.

Duo claimed a second chair and took up his watch of the two.  He watched for any sign of danger and listened to the sounds from the hall isolating and analyzing before dismissing those that sounded suspicious.  He found the rest of his attention being caught up in Catherine's account of daily circus life.  At first, he thought it odd, but the more he considered it, it made since.  It was a means to one - let Trowa know she was here, and two - keep herself from dwelling on the state of her brother.  Her talking kept her occupied and not having to focus on the looming problem she could do nothing about.  It was something Duo knew too well how to do.

Footsteps neared the door.  Duo readied himself to pull his gun if needed, but he eased his hand away as the doctor entered.

"Any new news?" Catherine halted her narrative to ask the man.

"Mr. Barton appears to be well on his way to recovery, and the worst is probably over.  It just remains to be seen when he will regain consciousness."

Sorrow filled Catherine's eyes at the news, but she forced a smile on her face.

"Thank you for the update."

Duo could see how this was grieving the woman, yet she stood up under the adversity with strength Duo admired.  She was determined to not let it get to her, and there was a small speck of hope about her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quatre slipped into Lady Une's office.  She smiled at the blond as he closed the door.  He slipped behind her chair and wrapped his arms around her before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Hello, love," he whispered in her ear.

Lady Une sighed contently in his embrace before cutting to the main reason her fiancé was here. 

"It is in here," she said tapping the data disk with the tip of her finger.  "There is a list of those with Trowa and copies of their statements, at least the ones that have been currently questioned."

Quatre softly laughed.

"Always anticipating what will be needed next," he teased.

"It goes with the job," she explained with a smile. 

Quatre shifted to sit on the corner of her desk.

"So what do you think is going on?" he asked her.

She leaned back in her chair regarding Quatre with a pondering look.

"I'm not sure.  We have no hint of any movement trying to organize against the established government.  No one has claimed responsibility.  There are just none of our usual indicators about this.  It falls more into the lone gunman category," she sighed perplexed. 

"An individual with a grudge, a score to settle, or a point to make," summarized Quatre resting his chin in one hand pondering.  "But, is it personal."

"It's always personal in some way," Lady Une said.

Quatre nodded.  There was always a personal reason for such acts whether it was the individual's sense of right and wrong, supremacy, desire for power, or desire to protect others.

"The next question is who or what is the target?  Is it all Preventer agents, the Gundam pilots, or only someone in Trowa's group?  But, they think Trowa's presence was the key to the detonation," Quatre continued to analyze possibilities.  "Why?  We are left with a lot of questions that need answered," he sighed and picked up the data disk.  "I'll take a look at this and see whom I might need to visit," he smiled innocently, batting his big blue eyes.

 Even in his early thirties, Quatre retained some of his youthful innocent appearance and knew how to use it to his advantage when needed, often using it on his fiancée.

Quatre pulled Lady Une's chair closer, leaned down, and placed a kiss on her lips.

"You're incorrigible," she said smiling as she gave him a push to get out of her office.

Quatre gave her a smile and casually strolled out the door with the new information.

As Lady Une watched him leave, she knew she was a very lucky woman.

"And to think, at one time I was out to kill him and his friends," she softly chuckled to herself.  "Life is full of surprises."

She had worshiped Treize in her younger days and did what she thought was right to achieve his goals.  She often resorted to brutality to fulfill the idealism.  For such actions, Treize reprimanded her misguided actions and pointed out the error of her way on a couple of occasions.  Une took the reprimands to heart and tried to understand the man better.  

She had thought she was in love with him, and she was.  However, it was the love and respect for a mentor and teacher.  She was more in awe with him than love.  Even to this day she tried to honor Treize's memory.  She had raised his daughter the best she knew how, and she believed Treize would be pleased with the young woman Marimeia had become.  

After Treize's death, Lady Une thought she would never love again, but she was wrong….  

Seven years after the last war, Wufei and Sally uncovered a group massing arms to attack the now peaceful world.  It was large, and Wufei recruited his fellow ex-pilots to help take it down.  The five swiftly and efficiently took them out using Quatre's plan.  After that, they all became fulltime.  

Their addition was a blessing to the agency.  Not only were they great field agents, but they were also good trainers.  If a group could hold their own pitted against the five Gundam pilots, then they were ready to be sent out on assignment.

As for her and Quatre, he had always been kind and friendly to her, as he was with all people.  If she had to pin down a moment when their friendship started to head down the road to romance, it had to be the Monday after she had sent Marimeia off to college.  The weekend had been wonderful and sad.  Lady Une was so proud of her daughter as she took her next step to independence, yet it saddened her to know that her little girl she loved so much was growing up.  The empty house waiting for Anna Une only brought out the dark depressed feelings she was having.  Those feelings followed her to work the next day

~~  Flash Back ~~

Lady Une sat the cafeteria tray down the table.  She had chosen an empty table and sat.  She absentmindedly poked at her food as she continued to fight with her gloomy emotions.  She knew Marimeia had to step out on her own.  That was the way of life, but it did not keep Anna from mourning the loss of that part of her life.

She heard someone sit beside her.

"_I should have eaten lunch in my office,_" she thought since she wanted to be alone.

"Feeling lost without Marimeia?" questioned a kind voice.

Anna looked surprised into Quatre's concerned smiling face.

"That obvious," she sighed.

Quatre nodded.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

At first, she was going to refuse, but the indescribable look of care, compassion, and understanding in his eyes compelled her to talk.  She found herself pouring her soul out to Quatre who understandingly nodded and offered support.  She was amazed at how much better she felt after talking to him.

"You should take up a hobby, get out and visit people," he suggested.  "Duo and I are going to a movie on Wednesday.  Want to go with us?" he invited.

Lady Une had always tried to keep herself from socializing a lot with those under her, but this time she tossed that rule aside and agreed to go.          

~~ End Flash Back ~~

That one movie outing led to other outings with Quatre.  They talked and laughed.  Anna found that she enjoyed his friendship.  Being with him made her happy.  She found him filling her thoughts more each day till the day she realized she was falling in love with him.

"Lady Une, your next appointment is here to see you," buzzed the intercom.

Her secretary's voice called Lady Une back to the present and the task at hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wufei scanned the security tapes and querying reports from the last two weeks looking for something unusual.  He particularly focused on the areas where Trowa's group would have been.  The probability of him finding something was close to nil, but they currently had few leads and were grasping at straws.

The ammo truck sat securely in its garage.  Trowa assigned a group of the trainees to load the truck.  The group of five started carrying the explosives onto the truck.  There was nothing unusual about it.  Wufei hit the fast forward.  The cadets moved quickly back and forth with the playback speed.  They finished the task and closed up for the night.  The lights dimmed and Wufei watched for movement around the truck.

He growled and hit the rewind button.  He directed the recording to move forward slowly with eyes focussed on the screen.  There it was.  There was definite movement within the truck then it stopped.  Wufei watched for signs of the intruder leaving but found none.  He watched it once more before turning to the recordings from other cameras near by.

All he found was possible lurkers in the shadows.  Perplexed, Wufei opted to change tactics and pulled up the access codes used to enter the building.

"There," Wufei muttered finding a code used not long after midnight.

He cross-referenced the code with the records.  It was Trowa's.  

Wufei tossed his hands in the air with frustration of the dead end.  He leaned back in his chair running his hands over his smoothly pulled back hair.

He jumped startled when his phone rang.  He pulled it from his belt.

"Chang," he answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snapping his phone closed, Heero turned it off so it would not interrupt him anymore.  He turned back to his keyboard and examined the set of three screens before him.  There was something not right, and he could not put his finger on it.  Every time he got close, he was interrupted.  He started quickly moving through the information.  He moved from screen to screen cross checking information.   He hit the enter key.  Something was not right.  He pulled up the section of the file he had just been looking at and compared it to information on the other two. 

There was something amiss, and he started a search based on the item of discrepancy he had found.  Unlike the other oddities he had found this one had promise.  It had all the earmarks of a hack job.  He crossed his fingers and waited for the information search to complete.

"This is where you are hiding," said Sally as she poked her head into the room.

Heero smiled up at his wife as she entered closing the door behind her.

"And, it does not look like you will be living anytime soon either," she said observing the screens full of information and the running search.  "Problem?"

"Possibly," he answered.

"Security breach?" she asked.

"Not sure yet," he replied.

"Well, I guess you won't be home for dinner," she sighed.

"Probably not," he agreed catching her hand and bringing it to his lips.  

She grinned down at him.

"Just get home before I have to put Lydia to bed.  She will want to see her daddy and have him read her a story."

"I'll be there, and once I get her to bed, we can have some time together." 

Sally bent over and placed a kiss on top of his unruly locks.

"I'll see you when you get home," she said with a sensual smirk.

She slowly pulled her hand from Heero's grasp.  The tips of their fingers lingering before she pulled away and headed out the door.

Heero watched her leave and returned back to his computer screens to examine the search results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The light from the setting sun spilled through the hospital window catching Duo in the face.  He glanced at he watch and his stomach rumbled.  Catherine had spent the entire afternoon at Trowa's bedside talking to him.

"Are you getting hungry?" Duo asked Catherine more concerned about his hunger than hers.

She regarded him with red rimmed eyes.  She had been silently crying, and he had not noticed.  He felt like such a heel, yet what could he do.

"Now that you mention it, I am," she responded catching an escaping tear with her sleeve.

"I need to make a call before we leave," Duo said as he pulled out his phone.  

He punched in some numbers and received no answer.  He tried another number with success.

"Wu-man!" Duo happily chirped.

"Maxwell," growled Wufei, "what do you want?"

"Catherine and I thought we would grab a bit to eat.  You want to take next watch?"

Wufei grumbled but decided he needed to get out of the cramped dim lit screening room.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," he assented before hanging up.

Duo put his phone away and smiled at Catherine.

"So, what do you want to do for dinner?" Duo asked.

"I don't know.  About anything I guess," she answered pulling her light jacket on.

"When Wufei gets here, we will go," Duo informed her.

Catherine nodded before walking to the window to watch what she could see of the setting sun.

Wufei entered the room some time later and glanced over at the unconscious Trowa.  Wufei was obviously taken aback by Trowa's condition but said nothing.

"Are you wanting to come back after eating?" Duo asked Catherine after Wufei entered.

"No, we can just go home," she answered drained.

"I can come back after taking Catherine home," Duo said turning to Wufei,  "so you can get back to you wife."

"Quatre said he would be in later, so don't worry about it," Wufei assured.

Duo offered Catherine an arm and escorted her out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duo held the door of the quaint local dinner.  From its appearance, it was nothing special, but the food was good and reasonably priced.  Catherine entered and her eyes roamed the small seating area.

Tables, chairs, and booths lined the walls with a row of tables between.  The small dinner could probably only hold fifty people or so.  A long stool lined bar stretched off to the left of the cash register in the middle of the room.  The chalkboard behind the counter displayed the day's special in colored lettering, and a "please seat yourself" sign stood before them.

"Over there," said Duo as he identified an empty booth in the well filled restaurant and guiding her in the right direction with a hand at the small of her back.

Catherine spotted the table and proceeded to it.  She slid across the cool plastic bench and glanced at the place mat before her.  It was filled with advertisements for local businesses.

"Hi 'a, Duo," smiled the waitress as she placed the menu's before them.

She was an older woman with silver hair cut just above her shoulders.  Her wire-rimmed glasses were sliding down her nose, and she absentmindedly pushed them back in place.  Her light colored blouse showed evidence of her job with various well set food stains. 

"Evening, Char," Duo chimed.

"Hot date?" she asked with a friendly wink at Catherine.

Duo actually blushed slightly at the suggestion.

"No," he corrected.  "This is Catherine, Trowa's sister."

"So you're Catherine," Char grinned while chopping on her gum.  "He told me of you.  I'm glad to see you finally made it for a visit.  Where is tall, silent, and hansom?" she asked of Duo.

"Um, he had some complications at work that are keeping him from joining us," Duo honestly answered.

"It happens," Char said.  "Watch ya' having to drink?"

"Water," answered Catherine.

"Ice tea," said Duo.

"I got it.  Be back later for your order," Char said. 

"I take it you guys come here often," said Catherine.

"Once or twice a week," answered Duo as he scanned the menu.  "Usually for lunch."

Catherine glanced over her menu and decided she would order the special of fish with a roll and two sides.

Char came back with their drinks and took their order.  After Char left, Catherine turned her head and watched the traffic pass on the other side of the window.  Her mind drifting back to Trowa and not what she was watching.

"Thinking about Trowa?" asked Duo softly.

The look of concern that had settled across her face morphed into a polite smile as she slowly tuned her head to regard Duo.

"Yes," she answered.  "There were times today there I thought he was going to come around," she sighed and rested her chin in her hand. 

"The doctor said that was normal.  Trowa will drift in and out of consciousness for a while," Duo said.  "Don't worry, he will pull through," Duo smiled while he placed a consoling hand over hers.

The warmth he radiated felt good on her cold hand.

"That's what I am hopping," she said solemnly.

Duo pulled back his hand after a reassuring squeeze and turned the topic of discussion to other topics.

"How's the circus?" he inquired.

"It's doing well," she answered.

Catherine proceeded to tell him of the places they had visited on their travels till Char returned with their food.

Dinner was good, and Duo took Catherine home afterwards.  

"I'm going to bed," she announced hiding a yawn behind her hand.

"Good night Catherine," Duo called as she walked up the stairs.

"Hello, Catherine," greeted Quatre passing her as he descended the stairs and buttoning his cuffs.  "Duo, have a moment?"

Duo looked up at his blond housemate who had obviously just showered.  Strands of damp blond hair clung to the sides of his face.  He was dressed in a crisp white shirt with a gray vest and just as crisply pressed black pants.

"Going out?" Duo asked.

"I'm meeting Anna for a late dinner before relieving Wufei," he explained.

Duo nodded.

With a quick guarded look, Quatre glanced up the stairway before pulling Duo into one of the other room.

"Both Wufei and Heero have found possible leads," Quatre told Duo in a hushed voice.

Duo's violet eyes widened excitedly.

"Do we know who?" he asked.

Quatre shook his head no.  

"They are still trying to sort out their leads," Quatre informed.  "Wufei wanted you to check out what he found," said Quatre handing the previously un-noticed information disk case with the surveillance video on it to Duo.

Duo looked at the case after accepting it from Quatre.

"Heero wanted to have a meeting tomorrow morning to cover what we have found.  Well, got to go," cheerfully called the blond before dashing out the door.

Duo watched Quatre leave before letting out a tired sigh.  He made sure the house was locked up and went to see what was on the disk.  Popping the plastic disk into the computer, Duo sat back and waited for Wufei's findings to come up and read the note Wufei had in the case.  Duo quickly decided he needed to see this on a larger screen and hooked the computer to the TV.  He played the clips over and over watching for different things each time.

A knowing smile stretched across the braided man's face as something caught his eye.  He replayed it, zoomed in, and knew he was right.  He had to be.  He knew how the person had got in.  Satisfaction filled Duo as he put things back the way they should be and secured the disk.  He would tell the others in their meeting tomorrow.

It was late, and Duo trudged up the stairs to grab some sleep.  He did a quick check on Catherine, who was sound asleep.  He pushed his door closed and started discarding his clothing letting it land where it may.  Striped down to his boxers, he crawled into the alluring bed.  He rolled onto his side, pulled the blankets to his chin, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero unhunched himself from over the keyboard and rolled his shoulders to get the kinks out.  He glanced at the time on the computer screen.  It was closing in on seven.  He was going to head home.  There was nothing more he was going to find tonight.  

Once he got the results from the search on the discrepancy he earlier discovery, he started trying to follow the leads it gave him.  It had not taken him long to modify one of his existing "ferret" programs to search through the old records for records accessed on the date and time of the infiltration.  He also added information accessed under Trowa's ID code because of what Wufei had found.

Wufei had stopped by on his way out.  He gave Heero the highlight of his afternoon of video viewing.  The interesting bit of information was the use of Trowa's code to enter the building.

  Obviously the man setting the explosions had some how accessed Trowa's pass code, and Heero wanted to know what else the code was used to access.  

Heero did not know if the two incidents had anything to do with each other.  However, that made for two security breaches into their system, and he wanted to find the culprit of both.

It had taken him longer to set up a few watchdog and tracking programs incase they tried to get into the system again.  He crafted them so their addition would not be obvious.  As for the rest of the computer security, he did not want to change anything obvious that might warn the intruders that their traipsing through the Preventer computer system had been discovered.   

Heero made sure the search program was going well before he turned off the lights and locked up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "Daddy!" delightedly shouted Lydia as her father entered the house.

The four-year-old dashed to Heero.  He dropped his jacket into the nearby chair with one arm and scooped her up with the other.  She wrapped arms around his neck and legs around his body clinging to him like she had not seen him in a month.

"Your home, your home, your home," she chanted before breaking into her day events at pre-school.

"And Sammy brought a frog for show and tell.  It escaped at recess, and we chased it aaallover the room."  She tilted her little head back and inhaled as she extended the all in allover.  She continued to animatedly move her head back and forth with her story. Her blond curls bopped with her movement.  "We had to stay in because it was raining," she pouted.  "We finally found Lee."

"Who's Lee?" asked Heero.

"The FROG," Lydia said indignantly at her father's ignorance.

If her hands were not locked around Heero's neck, they would be on her hips in one of her imitations of her mother when flustered.  

"Teacher was mad that we let Lee escape.  She does not like frogs very much."

"You're dinner is heating up," Sally informed Heero as he entered the kitchen with his energetic daughter.  

Heero acknowledged Sally with a smile before sitting at the table, all the while Lydia keep up her stream of talking.

"And after school," she said as she settled into the seat next to Heero, "Sammy and I went out in his back yard and played in the mud puddles till his sister told on us.  Then Sammy's mom put a stop to it and made us clean up.  I think we essazpirate her," Lydia fumbled trying to get her mouth around the word exasperate.

Heero chuckled softly.  They should take Hilde out for dinner or something for watching Lydia in the afternoons after school while he and Sally worked.  Once they found out that Sammy and Lydia were in the same class, Hilde offered to take Lydia home with her when she picked up Sammy on the days Sally worked.  In return, Sally would watch the kids on the one or two afternoons she was off per week.

Sally placed the plate of food before Heero before returning to the laundry in the other room.

"Can I have some?" Lydia asked eyeing the plate on the table.

Heero nodded, and she snagged a cooked carrot off the plate and started munching.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero pulled the door shut behind him.

"She is in bed," he said as he sat down beside his wife on the sofa. 

Heero had spent the past hour playing and entertaining his daughter before getting her ready for bed.  He read her a bedtime story till she drifted off to sleep, which did not take long after her busy day.

Sally leaned her head on Heero's shoulder and enjoyed the brief moment they had together.

"It sounds like Hilde and Wufei's son is a handful," Heero observed.

"And our daughter is right up there with him," Sally pointed out with a small laugh.

Heero wrapped his arm around her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I know, but she is ours," he said with a hint of how deeply he cared for his family and pride in those few words.

 "How would you feel about another one?" Sally asked looking up at him with her large blue eyes.

A smile pulled at her lips.

"The doctor verified today that I am pregnant."

Heero always being a man of action showed her with a kiss how he felt about their new addition to the family.


	3. Chapter 3

Barton's Legacy

By West Wind 

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** Two Preventer agents show up to inform Catherine that Trowa was injured in an accident during a training outing, but there is more to it than a mere accident.

**Disclaimer: Don't own the world of Gundam Wing just like to visit.**

~ Chapter  3 ~

The smell of cooking breakfast woke Duo.

_"Quatre cooking breakfast?" Duo pondered.  __"Smells good.  Hope he made enough for two."_

Duo lazily stretched before crawling out of his bed.  He glanced around his messy room before snagging his black robe thrown over the back of the chair.  After loosely tying it closed, Duo opened the door and proceeded downstairs yawning and scratching his head.  He entered the kitchen.

Quatre sat at the table with a plate of food before him and reading the paper.  He was already dressed and ready for the day even after the late night.

"Quatre said the smell of food would bring you down," said Catherine looking up smiling from her seat across from Quatre.  "Let me get you a plate."

Catherine stood and filled another plate with food while Duo took a seat beside Quatre.

"You forgot she was here, didn't you?" Quatre leaned over and whispered to Duo.

He had, but he did not respond to Quatre's question.

"Thanks," he murmured as Catherine placed the plate before him.

He dug into the delicious food before him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The four ex-pilots entered one of the smaller conference rooms at Preventer HQ.  They closed the door and got down to business.

"Someone has been hacking into our system," Heero started looking at each of the other three.  "I have found their trail, but not who.  Without them actually trying to gain information, I can't track them, but I have set up new security measures incase they try again," an evil smile crossed his face.  "From what I can tell they didn't get very far, but they still got into some of the lesser restricted files.  I have to sort through data for more answers.  Wufei?"

"Someone was in the truck the night before Trowa set out," Wufei informed, "and Trowa's access code was used to gain entrance.  I can find no hint of who the culprit is."

"That's because he was in a stealth suit," Duo casually explained and three pairs of interested eyes turned to him.  "Of course, it was no where as good as what Deathscythe had," Duo continued, pride of his old Gundam still showing through after all the years.  "It started malfunctioning as he left.  My guess the energy source was beginning to fail.  There was an odd shifting in the shadows as the suit began to fail reveling parts of a human form, but you have to know what you are looking at to know that."

Duo leaned back in his chair with hands behind his head, a self-important smile on his face.

"That explains why I could not find any sigh of the truck or building being entered," said Wufei.

"What have you learned, Quatre?"

"Not a lot.  I got Une's report, forensics' report, and talked to a few of the cadets."

Quatre summarized what Mark had told him.

"One of the men thought he saw movement on the ridge not long before the explosion.  I thought I would check that out today," Quatre finished.

"Take Wufei with you," suggested Heero. 

Quatre and Wufei both nodded.

"I'll see what I can learn from my queries," Heero continued.

"Let me guess, I'm with Catherine," Duo surmised.

"Yeah, and see what you can find on recent purchases of stealth suits."

"Will do," chirped Duo

The four men stood to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quatre and Wufei drove out to the sight of the insolent.  Not even the remains of the truck were left after the Preventer team finished combing the area for clues, taking pictures, and hulling evidence to the lab for examination.

"Which ridge?" asked Wufei as they stepped out of the jeep and surveyed the area.

 "The one up there," pointed Quatre to his left.

The two men trudged up the incline to get to the top.  Their boots sank into and slipped on the mud from yesterday's rain as they moved forward.  The height gave them a great view of where the camp had been set up.  The chard black spot where the ammo truck exploded stood out on the green ground below.  

Wufei examined the ground.  

"There was a set of tracks up here," pointed Wufei to the washed out indentations in a spot of mud.  

"But, there is no way to tell who's they are," said Quatre examining the imprint.

Wufei indicated his agreement with a throaty noise, and the two continued down the ridge.

Their search found nothing new.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That afternoon

"Well?" asked Heero of the other three in the room.

"Nothing new," Wufei said disgruntled.  "I have tracked all leads and found nothing.  If I do, it points back to Barton.  Quatre and I found nothing unusual at the ridge."

Wufei crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair report finished.

"I have checked the system for tampering, and found no additional breaches.  I then traced through the records to find what the intruder accessed," Heero reported.  "It looks like the hackers goal was the personnel records, but did not get there."

"If the hacker has Trowa's ID number he could have gotten the information using it," pointed out Duo.

"Thought of that," Heero said looking right at Duo.  "That's why I checked what personnel records Trowa had accessed in the past month."  Heero took a brief pause.  "All of our personnel records have been accessed using his ID."

Heero indicated those in the room.

"Are we the only ones?" asked Quatre shifting to become more comfortable.

"Ours, Trowa's, and Lady Une's," Heero answered.

Quatre visibly flinched at Lady Une's name in the list.

"So this person knows where we live and our past history," summarized Wufei.

"Why would they need that?" asked Duo placing his elbow on the table and dropping his chin into his hand.

"That's what we need to find out," answered Heero glancing around the table.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Wufei.

"We have exhausted the leads we have," Quatre pointed out.

"We still have one.  Did you find anything on the stealth suit?" Heero asked Duo.

"I could not find anything, but Howard's grandson is looking into it for me," Duo answered leaning back in his chair.  "He said it might take a few days.  If Rex can't find the information, no one can." 

"Just keep our eyes and ears open.  Stay on your toes," responded Heero.  "If they are after Trowa, they will try again, and we need to be there to stop it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duo stood at the post that he had been at for the past three days.  He stood watch over Trowa and Catherine.  Somehow, he had been appointed her official keeper since he and Quatre brought her in.  He showed her around town and kept her company at the hospital as she sat beside her unresponsive brother.  Currently she had fallen asleep with her head on Trowa's bed.  

The doctor said that Trowa was improving, but he was still mostly unresponsive.  At times he was barley conscious and would start trying to pull at the tubs attacked to his face.  The drugs they had him on probably did not help his state.

Duo was getting bored of watching the two sleeping people, so he started counting the number of bricks that made up the wall.  He had counted to 74 when movement caught his eye.  

Trowa's arm moved to gently rest on Catherine's shoulder before questioning, green eyes tried to focus on Duo. 

"Trowa?" Catherine gently squeaked out with joy as she sat up and took his hand in hers.  "Trowa!" she said delighted as he looked at her.

His other hand moved to his face feeling the tubs used to aid his breathing.

"Don't mess with it," Catherine ordered as she gently pulled his hand away from his face.  "If you don't, the nurses will strap your arms down.

"Do you remember what happened?" she softly asked.

He indicated that he was unsure with the twisting of his flat extended hand in a so-so gesture.

"I'll tell the nurse that he is awake and responsive," Duo said and moved into the hall far enough to flag down one of the nurses.

The afternoon nurse caught sight of him and indicated she was on her way.  Duo moved back into the room filled with Catherine's excitement.  There was a joy in her chatter that had been absent from her earlier talks to the unconscious Trowa.  Her delight was contagious, and Duo could not help but grin.

The nurse jostled Duo as she bustled past.  Duo shifted his weight to his back foot to keep from falling.

"Welcome back, Mr. Barton," cheerfully said the nurse as she held her fingers lightly to his wrist.

Satisfied with his pulse, she checked his other vital signs.

"I called the doctor, so he should be here when he can," she said.

Trowa motioned to the mangle of tubes shoved up his nose and down his throat.  

"We will take them out after we run some tests verifying you can breathe on your own," she assured.  "I am impressed, usually the first thing a patient dose is try to pull them out.  We end up strapping their hands down."

Trowa's eyes darted to Catherine briefly.  He received an 'I told you' look.

"Someone will be in to check on you later," the nurse informed them before tending to her other duties.

"Hey, buddy," Duo said walking up to the bedside.  "Good to see you awake."

Duo gave Trowa's shoulder a pat.  Trowa acknowledged his housemate with a nod of his head.

"The ammo truck exploded, and you got caught in the blast," Duo explained seeing the questioning look in Trowa's eyes.  "That was four days ago."

Duo listed the injuries Trowa had received and their prognosis. 

Trowa's eyes focused on Catherine when Duo finished.

"Duo and Quatre came and got me the morning after," she said.  "I have been staying in your room.  Quatre and Duo have made sure I am well cared for.

Trowa nodded and squeezed her hand.

Catherine's stomach rumbled.  She placed her free hand on her abdomen and smiled sheepishly.

Trowa gave her a gentle shove to get her to go eat.  He settled back into the pillows, eyes drifting shut.  Moments later his green eyes peeked through the slit of his eyelids.  Trowa shot a determined look at Duo and motioned to Catherine. 

"Catherine," Duo softly, "we should let him rest and get a bit to eat."

Catherine reluctantly agreed and moved for the door.

"We'll be back," Duo assured as he paused in the doorway.  

Trowa nodded before his eyes closed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The elevator stopped at the main floor.  Its occupants swayed with the change of movement.  A soft ding preceded the doors opening.  Duo motioned for Catherine to exit first.  She stepped into the hall with Duo closely behind her.  His hand on her shoulder halted her progress as she turned into the hall to the all too familiar cafeteria. 

"Do we have to eat there again," he whined.  

She turned blue-gray eyes on him.  The smell of food wafting down the hall caused her stomach to make its presence known once more.

"It's close," she pointed out.  "They can easily find us if something happens to Trowa."

"They have my phone number to contact us if they need to," he pointed out.  "I have to get out, see the sky, breath fresh air.  It's after one, the food joints should not be busy," he continued to argue his case.  "Just down the road is a whole string of restaurants." 

Catherine looked toward the cafeteria before giving in.

"Good!" Duo said happily.  "Let's walk.  I am tired of standing still."

As they exited the building and walked down the sidewalk, Catherine had to agree with Duo.  She had been siting far too long.  Her ignored mussels delighted with the simple task of walking.  The sunlight warmed her skin and caused her to squint till they adjusted.  The warm breeze whipping around her carried the fragrance of spring.  It was refreshing after the sterile air of the hospital.  She lazily stretched her arms above her head as she soaked in her surroundings.

Duo, who had continued walking, paused when he noticed his companion's absence.  He watched her elongate her body exposing her curves in the process.  She dropped her arms back to her side.

"Told you we needed out of there," he smiled.

She closed the space between them and threaded her arm through his.

"Yes, you were right," she agreed.  "Now let's get something to eat!"

She pulled him in the direction of the restaurant signs, and he happily followed her lead. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duo placed the plastic tray on the table and slid into the booth opposite Catherine.  She snagged her sandwich off the tray and hungrily took a bite.  Duo paused watching her before starting on his own sandwich.  

"I wonder how long until they let him out?" pondered Duo.

Setting her drink back on the table, Catherine said, "I hope not long."

Duo nodded as he stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth.

"You know, over the past few days together I have told you all about my life at the circus, but I have not learned much about you.  Do you have any siblings?" Catherine asked while Duo chewed the fries.

"No," Duo answered after swallowing his mouthful of food.

"What are your parents like?" she continued questioning between bites.

"I don't remember them," Duo answered.  "Ya' see, I never knew my parents.  I grew up on the streets of L2."

There was the look.  It was the look of pity for his childhood and lack of family.  He hated that look.  Their pity did him no good.  They were not there when he was starving or his friends were killed.  They did not take him in when he was dressed in rags.  It had been a hard life, but Duo did not regret it.  Because of it and what it taught him, he was forged and tempered to become Deathscythe's pilot and helped establish peace on earth and in space.  That was something he felt privileged to be a part of.  

Duo braced himself for the coming "comforting" words but was surprised to see a look of understanding in Catherine's eyes.

"It's hard not to have one's parents around isn't it?" she said in her soft understanding voice.  "At least I remember what mine looked like," she sighed heavily before putting a smile on her face.

"When did you loose your parents?" Duo asked surprised to find common ground other than Trowa with the circus performer.

"I think I was around seven or eight.  We were traveling to join up with the circus when we were caught in the middle of a mobile suit battle.  Our wagon was hit.  Triton and I were thrown from the wagon.  Mom and Dad did not survive," she narrated.

"Triton?" Duo questioned.

"My younger brother," she explained.  

"What happened to him?" Duo asked; even though he had a bad feeling he could already guess.

"I don't know.  They never found him.  I still hold onto hope that he is out there someplace and is living a happy life.  The ironic part is I could pass him on the street and never know it was him," she laughed dejectedly.

"So, you adopted Trowa as his replacement?"

"In a way, I guess I have.  The circus became my family after my parents' death, everyone looking out for other members, some more than others.  When I started working with Trowa, he started off as an enigma to me.  He was so cold and distant, yet I saw in him someone longing for a family," she leaned forward and cocked her head at Duo who was intently listening.  "He reminded me of Triton, and I adopted him."

She sat up and waved a finger at him.

"We are supposed to be talking about you, and here we are on me again.

Duo just smirked and shrugged. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catherine waited bouncing anxiously for Dr. Peterson to finish examining Trowa after her lunch with Duo.  She would look at him hopefully with each murmur he made but was disappointed as he jotted down something on the chart.

Dr. Peterson poked and questioned Trowa more before replacing the clipboard by Trowa's bed.

"From the tests ran earlier, there appears to be no brain damage.  Everything else looks good with no lasting damage.  I want to get you up and moving," he said to Trowa.  "After that, we will see about sending you home."

Catherine latched onto her brother joyfully.

"You get to come home soon," she rejoiced.

Trowa placed a hand on hers with a nod and a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later, Dr. Peterson deemed Trowa fit to go home.

Quatre helped Trowa out of the car while Catherine opened the front door.  Trowa moved stiffly up the sidewalk and into the house.  Catherine immediately started fussing over him, and he let her do it rather than fight with her.  It never did any good anyway.  

"Why don't you sit down right here, Trowa," said Catherine indicating the recliner in the living room.

Trowa, feeling more exhausted than he expected, sat in the padded chair.

"Do you need a blanket?" Catherine asked seconds before retrieving the blanket folded across the back of the couch and tossing it across his lap.  "Are you hungry?"

"No, but I would like some water," Trowa answered.

"I'll get you some," she said before dashing out of the room.

Quatre sat on the couch with a wide grin stuck on his face.  Trowa accusingly glared at Quatre for finding the situation humorous.  Quatre's smile only widened more.  Trowa defeatedly leaned back in his chair.

"It's only because she cares," said Quatre.

"I know," softly and neutrally said Trowa.

"Here you go," said Catherine as she offered Trowa a glass of water.

She watched him intently as he took a sip.  She sat down on the couch.  Her eyes were glued to him to see if he needed anything else.

"He is there in the flesh, Catherine" laughed Quatre.  "He is not going to just vanish out of the chair."

Catherine reddened at Quatre's teasing.

"It…  it's just that … he's here…  I almost lost him again," she stuttered.  "I don't want to lose him," she whispered as she dropped her eyes to her lap.

"You won't," Trowa tenderly said as he placed a hand on her hand.

"But you came close," she wailed with fear and grief.

She looked up at Trowa with tears glistening like dew in the morning sun on her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Cathy," softly comforted Trowa as he sat on the edge of his seat and pushed away a tearstain.

"Trowa!" she cried in a mixture of lament and joy as she launched herself at him.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as if he were her most prized possession and let the stress of the situation show.  Trowa returned her hug pulling her into his lap where she cried tears of relief on his shoulder.

Quatre, knowing when to exit, slipped out of the room during the emotional exchange.    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening all five pilots were gathered in Trowa's living room.  Catherine placed a try of drinks and finger food on the coffee table.

"Thought you might like some refreshments," she smiled glancing around at the quiet men in the room.  "I can tell when I'm not wanted," she light heartedly said as she turned to walk out.  "I will be up in Trowa's room reading if anyone needs me." 

The room was quiet as they listened to Catherine's footsteps fade up the stairway.  Once she was safely away, Quatre was the first to speak.

"So what do you remember?" Quatre asked Trowa.

Trowa rubbed the side of his head as he gathered his words.

"I was talking with a few of the cadets when I was thrown to the ground by an explosion.  After that I must have blacked out."

"Do you remember seeing anything on the ridge?" asked Wufei.

"I was not facing the ridge," answered Trowa.  "Carl was."

The look on the boy's faces grew even grimmer.  Trowa questioningly fixed his eyes on each one of them.

"Carl died a few days after the incident," Quatre informed Trowa.  "They had him stable, but he hemorrhaged, and they lost him."

Pain haunted Trowa's eyes at the news.

"What of the other two?" Trowa asked.

"They are stable and on their way to recovery," Duo answered from his spot on the floor.  "I checked up on them this afternoon."

Trowa briefly closed his eyes and nodded.

"Do we know who caused it?" Trowa asked.

"No," muttered the others.

"No one has tried to claim responsibility, and we have been chasing every lead we get but often run into dead ends," precisely elaborated Heero.

"What do you have so far?" asked Trowa.

The others proceeded to fill Trowa in on their activities while he was playing Sleeping Beauty.   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duo was working trying to find sources for the parts used to make the explosive.  He punched away on the computer, sending messages to people he knew, or made a call with an inquiry.  He could hear Catherine moving around and humming the same tune she always hummed when keeping herself busy with housework.  Duo often found the tune sticking in his head.  It was a melodious tune, not fast but not slow, and with a hint of remorse to it.  She would occasionally sing the words but was usually at a level that Duo could not catch.  The only words that Duo had been able to make out belonged to the chorus and they did not make much sense.  He thought they were:

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh" _

_Alive, alive oh, alive, alive oh, _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh" _

In the middle of one of the chorus, a baritone voice started singing.

 _Alive, alive oh, alive, alive oh, _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh" _

Duo walked to the kitchen to better hear the song.  Catherine's alto voice blended with Trowa's as they started singing a verse.

_In __Dublin__'s fair city where girls are so pretty_

_Twas there that I first met sweet Molly Malone _

_As she wheeled her wheelbarrow _

_Through street broad and narrow _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh" _

_Alive, alive oh, alive, alive oh, _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"_

_Now she was a fishmonger and sure twas no wonder _

_For so were her mother and father before _

_And they each wheeled their barrows _

_Through streets broad and narrow _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh" _

_Alive, alive oh, alive, alive oh, _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"_

For the third verse they slowed down the pace and sounded more sorrowful. 

_She died of a fervor and no one could save her _

_And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone _

_Now her ghost wheels her barrow _

_Through streets broad and narrow _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"_

_Alive, alive oh, alive, alive oh, _

_Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"_

Duo clapped as the duo completed their song.  The two performers, not previously seeing Duo, looked at him.

"Kind of sad, but well sung," said Duo.

"Thank you," bowed Catherine.

"She's been humming that since she got here, and that is the first time I've heard the words," Duo said to Trowa.  

Trowa lightly chuckled.

"Some things never change," Trowa said.

Catherine smiled at him.

"No, they don't."

"What?" questioned Duo.

Duo stood there tapping his foot waiting for an explanation that neither of them seemed to be in a hurry to give.  Catherine looked over at Duo and his agitated body language and laughed.

"How long should we keep him in suspense?" Catherine asked Trowa.

"Tell him.  We don't want him to explode with curiosity," Trowa said as he sat down at the table.

"The song is an old Irish folksong my father use to sing," Catherine explained.

"Your father was Irish?" asked Duo. 

"No, but the man that was like a grandfather to him was Irish.  He taught Dad the song.  Dad would hum or whistle it while he worked or traveled.  I picked up the habit," Catherine smiled.  "Trowa is one of the few people I know who knows the song."

Duo quirked a questioning eyebrow at her.

"We were traveling to a new city.  Trowa and I were in the cab and I absentmindedly started to hum.  I was surprised when Trowa started singing the 'alive, alive, oh' part.  It and a few of the other lines were all he could remember, so I started singing too.  He picked up the rest of the words then."

Duo rubbed his chin with his finger and thumb as he looked at Trowa then Catherine.

"Hmm," Duo said.  "So, where did you learn the song, Trowa?"

Trowa shrugged as he used his fork on the breakfast Catherine had set before him.

"I don't know."

"You had to have heard it somewhere," insisted Duo.

"True, but I don't remember ever hearing it until that day," he answered before taking a bite.

"Hmm.  Interesting," said Duo before turning and walking out of the room.

"What has him so intrigued?" asked Catherine.

"With Duo it's hard telling," answered Trowa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "Three," said Duo.

"Yes, three contacts that deal in stealth suits," said Rex from his end of the vid-phone. 

"Where will I find them?" Duo asked as he pulled a pad of paper to him.

The door bell sounded as Duo wrapped up his business with Rex.  He heard Catherine's footsteps in the hallway on her way to answer the door.

"Thanks for the info, Rex.  Take care!"

"Back at ya," Rex said as he readjusted his shades. 

The murmur of voices carried down the hall, and Duo thought he should check it out.  As he neared the hall the voices became more distinct.

"He is napping at the moment," said Catherine protectively.  "Could you come back later?"

"This was the only time I could come by and was hoping to see him," the male voice said dejectedly.

Duo took this opportunity to step into the hallway.  The cadet at the door looked at him momentarily shocked.

"Captain Maxwell," crisply said the boy as he stood at attention.  

Duo vaguely recognized the boy as one of their recent cadets and signaled for him to stand at ease.

"I did not expect to find you here, Sir," the boy said.

"I had some work I had to do from home," casually said Duo as he leaned against one of the walls.

Trowa meandered into the hall looking like he had just woke up.

"Will, what are you doing here?" Trowa asked.

"We heard you had been released and a few of us were wondering how you were doing.  I volunteered to come over and see."

"Thanks," said Trowa.  "As you can see, I am up and moving around."

"Yes, sir, that is good to know.  We signed a card for you," he added and presented a white card envelope which Trowa accepted with a nod.  "Well, I should be going.  I have to get back before lunch break is over," Will finished with a salute before crisply turning on his heals and walking back to his car.

Trowa opened the card and read the well wishes from his cadets.  Catherine peered over Trowa's arm at the card and sighed how thoughtful the boys were.

"Speaking of lunch," Catherine announced enthusiastically switching topics.  "Lunch is ready."

The two men followed her into the kitchen where she ladled soup into bowls.  Duo accepted his and gently blew across the broth in his spoon.  His mind quickly returned to his new leads.

_"Maybe I can get Quatre to Trowa-sit tomorrow so I can start chasing down the leads,"_ Duo thought.  _"None of the three are in town," he mentally sighed.  _"It will take a few days to track them all down."__

Catherine noticed Duo's unusual quietness but made no comment on it.

"Thanks for lunch," Duo directed toward Catherine before leaving the table.

Duo strolled out to the garage to finish working on Trowa's car.  He went to his workbench looking for the tools he would need.  

The outside door swung open an inch with the passing wind.  Duo looked at the unlatched door.  He knew it had been locked this morning.  He quickly glanced around the room looking for an intruder.  Satisfied he was alone in the garage, he moved to the door.  He used a screwdriver to nudge the door open.

The frame held no marks of forced entry, but the knob was scratch most likely by an addle fingered attempt at lock picking.  Duo moved away from the door and surveyed the garage.

Nothing appeared out of place or missing.  The most expensive pieces of equipment were where he had left them earlier.  He moved around the cars.  He glanced first under his, then Trowa's.  As he started to rise, a dangling tube caught his eye.  Duo grabbed the creeper and rolled under the car.  Duo fingered the tube.  There was no way it could be free without help.  His experienced mechanic eyes scanned the underside of the car.

A thin wire caught his attention.  Following it to its end, he found a detonator attached to the fuel tank.


	4. Chapter 4

Barton's Legacy

By West Wind 

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** Two Preventer agents show up to inform Catherine that Trowa was injured in an accident during a training outing, but there is more to it than a mere accident.

**Disclaimer: Don't own the world of Gundam Wing just like to visit.**

~ Chapter 4 ~ 

Catherine tidied up the kitchen from their afternoon meal.  She scraped the remains into the sink, turned on the water, and flipped the switch to the garbage disposal.  She pushed the refuse toward the opening.  

"Gurgle, Gurgle, Ka-thunk!"

The garbage disposal sounded no more.

Catherine let out a sigh and flipped the switch off.

"Duo, the garbage disposal died again," she called into the garage through the open doorway.

A grunt came from under the car and Duo rolled out.  His grave expression caused her to wonder what was wrong. 

"I'll be in momentarily," Duo said as he stood.

Catherine nodded and returned to the kitchen.  She hated being kept in the dark.   Other than Duo's admission that the "accident" was no accident, they had told her no more about it.  She knew they had to keep many of the details secret, but she wanted a scrap here or there.  If Trowa was in danger, she wanted to help.

Duo's entrance pulled her from her thoughts.

"See you in a bit," Duo finished before pocketing his cell phone.

Duo set down his toolbox and grinned at Catherine.

"So what did you try to put down it this time?  An elephant?" he teased before crawling under the sink.

Catherine handed him the wrench he needed and watched from her stool.

"Duo, what's going on?" she asked.

"I'm fixing the disposal," he answered as he pulled on the wrench.

"I mean with the investigation on Trowa's accident," she softly corrected.

Duo lost his hold on the wrench.  It missed hitting him in the chest while he tried to catch the falling drain.  Water sloshed out and drenched his shirt and splattered the floor.  Duo let out a few choice words as he continued with his task.

"Well?" Catherine demanded.

"We don't know much," he offered.

"You don't know much!" she indignantly repeated.  "You are Preventer agents, how can you not know much!"

Catherine was winding up to let Duo have it with all her pent frustration at not knowing and not being able to help.

Duo freed himself from the confines of the sink and swiftly pulled Catherine off her stool so she was looking him in the eye.  The sudden change caused Catherine's anger to ebb.

Hard serious indigo eyes seemed to see into her soul and kept Catherine from saying anything.  

"We are doing our best," Duo somberly voiced.  "We are doing all we know to find out what is going on, who is behind it, and keep Trowa and you safe.  Leads are sparse, and the ones we have left take a while to follow."  Duo's eyes softened and his hold on her hands lessened.  "Trust us.  Trust me.  We will find the creep," he said softly.

Catherine did not doubt Duo's sincerity.  She searched his eyes and decided not to push the topic further at this time.

"Let's get the disposal fixed," he said as he released her hands.

Catherine momentarily struggled for balance on the slightly damp floor, plopped down between Duo's legs and started laughing.  Her laughter was contagious, and Duo joined in.

Quatre entered the kitchen moments later to find the two entangled on the floor in hysterical mirth.

"Glad you are enjoying yourselves," Quatre gently said.

Duo turned more serious at seeing Quatre.

"Hey, Quatre," he responded.  "That package is in the garage."

Duo and Catherine manage to extract themselves and stand.  Duo and Quatre headed to the garage and Catherine followed.

"You don't want to go in there, Catherine," Duo said.  "I left it a mess."

Her weeks hanging out with Duo were enough to know he was trying to get rid of her.

"I am sure that won't bother me," Catherine insisted.  "Unless, there is some secret you are hiding in there."

There was a quick grimace that crossed Duo's face. 

_"He is hiding something!"_ she thought.

Duo took a breath and let it out slowly to carefully weigh what he would say.

"Someone broke into the garage," Duo explained.  "We are going to check it out."

Catherine locked a steely glare on the two.

"What else?" she asked.

"We think it might be the same person who tried to kill Trowa," Quatre inserted.

Catherine gasped at the news.

"You **will** tell me what you find," she ordered.

The two men nodded and she turned and walked back into the house to check on Trowa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Duo and Quatre entered the garage.  Heero was already examining the door while Wufei checked outside.   Duo handed Quatre the device he had liberated from Trowa's car.

"Have your friend check it out," said Duo.  "I bet it will be similar to the ones from before."

Quatre nodded.

"How about your car?" asked Quatre looking at the vehicle.

"Didn't find anything on it," Duo said.

"Any idea of when the intruder was here?" asked Heero as he joined them.

"I shut the door when I left this morning," said Quatre.

"Sometime after mid morning," answered Duo.  "I had to get something out of my car.  I tripped over a boot that was barley in the walkway and caught myself against the door.  I would have known then that it had been open."

Heero looked briefly at the door.

"What else happened today?" Heero asked sounding like an investigator.

Duo started through his days activities.

"Then Will showed up."

Heero held up a hand to halt Duo.

"Will?" asked Wufei who had shown up during Duo's rambling.

"He's one of Trowa's cadets," Duo said.  "He brought a card for Trowa.

"Where was everyone when Will showed up?" Heero asked.

"Trowa was napping, I was talking to Rex, and Catherine was someplace in the house.  She answered the door, I came to see who it was, and Trowa eventually wandered out of the living room."

"So you were all at the door," stated Wufei.

Duo nodded.

"How long?" asked Heero.

"Not long.  We had a brief conversation with Will before he had to get back to base.

"Did he say what prompted him to come?" asked Quatre.

"He said that a few of them were wondering how Trowa was doing," answered Catherine from the doorway into the house.

All four men instantly looked up at her in surprise.

"He didn't have anything to do with it," continued Catherine, "but he could have been played like a pawn."

"How do you know?" Heero cautiously asked.

"When your livelihood relies on people, you get a knack for knowing things about them.  Will was either very good at pulling the wool over people's eyes, or he was just an easy malleable stooge."

"If what you are saying is true," pondered Wufei, "then the person we are after could be working from within the agency."

"And maybe even one of Trowa's cadets," added a wide-eyed Quatre.

"It would explain some things," pointed out Heero as he ran an anxious hand through his hair.  "One of us should discreetly talk to Will."

Three sets of eyes focus on Quatre.

"It's already added to my list of things to do," he agreed.

Out of the five of them, Quatre always got the most information out of people in a casual conversation, and Quatre willingly let them used it to their advantage.  

"Are any of you going to tell Trowa?" Catherine interrupted once more.

"We should do that," mused Duo with the others agreement.

With that decision made they made their way into the house and into the living room where Trowa sat with a book.  Trowa looked over the top of his book as they entered and arched one questioning eyebrow.  They dispersed around the room, and Catherine plopped into the couch daring anyone to tell her she could not be here.  None did.

Trowa put the book in his lap and patiently waited for the group to speak.

"There has been another attempt on your life," Duo informed.

"Really," Trowa said. 

Duo recounted the events since their lunch and their suspicions.  

"Is there any of your squad that you might suspect in this matter?" Wufei asked solemnly.  "Any that act suspicious?"

Trowa momentarily looked thoughtful before replying.

"What would you consider suspicious?" Trowa asked.  "There are those that are loners and have trouble associating with their teammates."  Trowa's eyes landed on Heero briefly almost laughing.  "Then you have those who seem too outgoing and anxious to please, or those that just seem uptight and jumpy."

The others did not have a good answer for Trowa.

"Those in this group are no more suspicious or less suspicious than any other group.  I can be a paranoid man and find fault with each and every one of them," Trowa added as he steepled his fingers before him waiting for their response.

"Why don't we start with you jotting down notes on each one for us," offered Quatre.  "I have a list in my briefcase."

Trowa nodded and Quatre went out to get the item.

"In the mean time, what are we going to do to keep Trowa safe?" asked Catherine.  "Whoever is after him, knows where he lives.  What is to keep him from coming back?"

"We have to move Trowa," Heero said.

"Maxwell, you said you talked to Rex," said Wufei.

"Yeah?" questioningly responded Duo.

"Then you have some leads you have to check out.  Probably not around here," Wufei continued.

"I do, and was hoping to start on it tomorrow," Duo answered wrinkling his brow in confused.

"Trowa can go with you," stated Heero.

"What?" sputtered Duo.

"And you should probably leave tonight," added Quatre having returned for the end of the conversation.

"If Trowa goes, I go," said Catherine.

"Wait a …" Duo started to say.

"Probably best if she does," interrupted Quatre.

The others agreed, and Duo looked depressed as the others dictated his fate.

"How am I supposed to work with them in tow?" Duo asked flailing on arm in Trowa and Catherine's direction.  "Some of the places I have to go a lady should not be in."

"You will find Catherine quite independent, resourceful and often helpful," said Trowa.

"That's the plan, Duo," Heero firmly said.  "You three head out late tonight to wherever you need to go.  I'll arrange for a car for you to use, and stay out and moving until we feel it is safe for you to come back in."

With that decided the others got up to leave.

"Pack and get some rest while you can," offered Quatre before heading back to the office.

~~~~~~~~~

Duo pulled the zipper on his bag closed after putting the last item in.  He had to force himself to stop mulling over the Trowa problem because he was just running into dead ends.  From past experience he had found if he walked away, worked on something else, he would see what he had missed before.  

He turned his mind to the self-appointed puzzle.  He had not yet had a chance to start working on it, but if he was to find answers, he would have to recruit some help.

Quatre knocked on the doorframe before entering.

"Are you ready?" Quatre asked.

"Yeah," answered Duo as he swung the bag strap over his shoulder and hoisted the second one with his hand.  "Quatre, I need a favor," he added as he juggled his bags while he scribbled something on a slip of paper on his desk.  He pulled the paper from the pad, folded it, and handed it to Quatre.  "Have Heero see what he can find on this person.  And, can you ask your friend in the lab if he could do some DNA testing for me and what he would need for that?"

"Sure, Duo," Quatre said taking the paper, "but what is this about?"

There was a twinkle in his eye and said, "Trying to help a friend."

Quatre let Duo go with that answer.

 "Hey, Tro are you ready to go?" Duo called into Trowa's room.

"We are," said a smiling Catherine as she appeared in the doorway with their bags in tow.

Trowa was right behind her.  They said their farewells to Quatre before heading down the stairs and out the back door.  They crossed their yard and their neighbors to get to the car parked on the street.

"He could have at least got us a good car," whined Duo to himself as he opened the trunk to throw their things in.

Duo took up the position behind the wheel of the tan car.  The other two were already seated.  Duo turned the key and the engine roared with life.  Checking to make sure his passengers were secured, Duo threw the car in gear and headed down the road.

~

Duo drove till the eastern sky lightened with tinges of pink.  Yawning, Duo pulled the car into the parking lot of a 24-hour restaurant.  As he put the car into park, his passengers stirred.

"Where are we?" asked Catherine as she extended her arms over the back of the reclined seat and twisted and arched her body in a stretch.

With a click she set her seat upright and blinked confusingly at Duo.

"What time is it?" she asked next before Duo answered the first question.

In the backseat Trowa sat up and looked around.

"Looks like time for breakfast," answered Trowa.

The three got out, stretched, and wandered into the small diner.  Two gruff men, who looked like they had been up all night, looked up from their coffee cups and momentarily assessed the new arrivals.  Duo gave them a polite nod as they passed by on their way to a yellow, vinyl clad booth.

"Morning," cheerfully said a dishwater blond waitress in the pink skirt and blouse uniform.  "I'm Flo.  Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Coffee," said Duo.

The order was repeated by Trowa.

"Orange juice," said Catherine.

"OK, I'll be back in a moment with your drinks and give you a chance to look over the menu," she said before walking away.

The three silently evaluated the plastic covered menus.

Trowa shifted his shoulders trying to get a kink out of his back.

"Everything alright?" Catherine asked more of general curiosity rather than over anxious mother.

"Yeah, just a kink in my back from sleeping in the car," he answered.

"Here you go," the waitress said as she passed out the beverages.  "Ready to order?" she asked sweeping the trio with her eyes.

"I am," answered Duo glancing at his companions for conformation.

They nodded readiness.

"Well you start, sugar," she grinned at Duo.

"I'll have the pancakes with scrambled eggs and sausage.

"You want toast or biscuit with that?"

"Toast," Duo said.

"And what can I get for you, pet?" she asked Catherine.

"I'll have the garden omelet with hash browns and toast," Catherine ordered and handed the menu to the waitress.

"And you, cutie?" Flo clucked.

"Two eggs over easy and a bowl of oatmeal," he answered hid behind his bangs.

"Is that everything?"

They indicated that it was.

Flo went to the window to the kitchen and placed the slips with the order on the wheel.

"I'll be back," said Catherine as she got up and went to the restroom.

Duo stifled a yawn and took a sip of his coffee.  Duo's eyes drifted shut as they sat in silence.  He was tired enough that he did not even notice Catherine slip into her seat across from him on her return.  They did open as a gruff voice called from the kitchen.

"Orders up!"

Duo noticed their waitress talking with another pink clad woman that had just entered.

"Hey, Flo, get over here and get your order," growled the cook.  "I'm tired of your slacking."

Flo said a few more words before strolling to the window.  She loaded the food onto a tray.

"Mel," she called through the window, "kiss my grits," she said indignantly in her twangy voice before turning and walking to their table. *

"Here you go, dears" she pleasantly said as she passed out the food.  "Anything else?"

"I think we're fine," Duo assured.

~

By the time they emerged from the restaurant, the sun dangled over the distant trees and flooded the world with light.

Duo handed the keys to Catherine.

"You drive.  I need some sleep," he said before creeping into the backseat.

Catherine got behind the wheel.

"Are we headed anyplace specific?" she asked the full and fatigued Duo.

With half closed eyes, he leaned between the seats and pulled out a map.

"We are here," he pointed to the small black dot along one of the red hi-way lines, "and we are going there," he pointed to one of the larger cities before tossing the map in Trowa's lap. 

"When we get there, we find a place to stay," he added with a wave of his hand before he gratefully impacted the seat with his head. 

~

Quatre entered his office and slid into the chair.  He pulled the list from his briefcase and looked over Trowa's notes on each cadet.  He had talked to most of them earlier about the event and had his own notes.  He spread the other sheets out on his desk to compare.  He leaned back and stared at them thoughtfully.

"Have they told you the identity of our would be assassin?" Wufei asked entering the office and walking to his desk.

"Unfortunately, no," Quatre sighed.  "I keep going back to the lists I compiled earlier of who was where when the explosion occurred. There were three who have no one who can vouch for their whereabouts, and five that are questionable.  They were with a group, but not in sight contact at the time.

"I plotted out the locations of each person, and none were close to that ridge," Quatre tiredly sighed.

Wufei walked over to look at Quatre's map.   Numbers and clumps of numbers dotted the map of the camp site and an X on the ridge where they had found prints.

"Which one is our friend Will?" Wufei asked.

"He was one of these," Quatre said pointing to a clump of numbers farthest from the ridge.  He pulled out another paper and scanned it.  "He is number 23," Quatre added and he and his partner were on patrol."

"So all the ones around the edge are patrols," Wufei stated.

"Mostly," said Quatre.  "There were a few who just wandered out of camp."

"They are not supposed to do that," Wufei indignantly remarked, "but, there are always some that do not follow orders."

Wufei continued to look at the distribution.  The three solo people were scattered around the camp.

"How soon were each of these seen after the incident?" Wufei indicated the three unverified cadets.

"Here," said Quatre handing Wufei another stack of papers with time flow charts and maps explaining where everyone was at a series of given moments in the evening.  "I scrutinized it all again last night once we thought the assassin was in Trowa's group," Quatre informed pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and finger and momentarily closing his eyes.  "I can't find a person that was missing for the appropriate length of time."

"Maybe there is more than one involved," Wufei pointed out.

"I thought of that too," sighed Quatre.  "The answer is in there if I only had one more key piece of info," Quatre said tapping the papers with his index finger.

"Like the assailant's name?" dryly said Wufei.

Quatre chuckled, "That would be the key to unlock the entire mystery."

Quatre's phone rang interrupting their conversation.

"Winner," answered Quatre.  "Sure Mark, I'll be down.  Bye."

Quatre placed the receiver back in its cradle.

"Mark has some info.  Want to come?"

Wufei said yes and the two went to forensics.

~ 

"Duo was correct," said Mark to the two agents.  "It is just the same as before.  It was put there by the same person."

"Can't tell us who?" hopefully asked Quatre.

"No, I can't," Mark answered.  "There were no print nor DNA on it."

"Oh, yeah, Duo wants to know what you would need to do a DNA test," Quatre remembered.

"I just need a sample from the person – hair, blood, skin.  A few strands of hair are the easiest to get," Mark answered.

"What can you tell us about the detonator?" Wufei asked pulling the conversation back to the important topic.

"Here is my report on it," Mark said handing it to Wufei.

"Thanks.  We will see if it leads us anyplace," said Quatre.

"I hope it does," Mark answered.

~

Quatre and Wufei returned to their office to look over the report.

"This is SO frustrating!" Quatre let out as he threw himself into the back of his chair.

Wufei arched an eyebrow at his normally even-tempered office mate.  

"Wufei, how are we going to find who is behind this when we know so little?" Quatre asked as he propelled himself from the chair and started pacing the room with hands clasped behind his back.

"Have you talked to Will yet?" Wufei asked.

"No," Quatre crisply said as he turned to face Wufei.  "I thought I would try to find a way that would not appear to be suspicious and tip the culprit off that we suspect." 

"Do you know where he is now?  Who…" Wufei paused as the office door opened and Heero entered closing it behind him.  "Who is taking over Barton's group?"

"I am," Heero said.  "I just finished talking to Lady Une, and she agreed.  If the enemy is in his group, then I want the group monitored ~ preferably by one of us."

The other two did not find fault with Heero's reasoning.  

"We got the report from Mark," Quatre informed Heero.

"And?" Heero prodded.

The three were soon reviewing every bit of info they had since the day of the explosion.

~

Duo stirred as the rhythm of the car changed from interstate driving to town driving.  He sat up, blinked a few times, and focused on what was outside the car.

"Welcome back," Catherine chimed.

"Thanks," Duo murmured.  "Where are we?" he asked

Duo started soundlessly working his mouth trying to get the foul morning taste out.

"We're here.  Did you have anyplace in mind to hold up?" Catherine asked.

"Maybe we should get lunch first," pointed out Trowa.

Duo and Catherine noted the time and agreed.

~

After eating they checked into an average motel.  The first thing Trowa noticed on entering the room was the distinct smell of stagnant air found in all motel rooms.  Catherine deposited her bags on the foot of one double bed while Duo turned on the AC unit to cool the room to a bearable temperature. 

Trowa sat on the bed Cathy had dropped her things on and rested the cane beside him.  He watched the two move around the room settling in and a feeling of exhaustion washed over him.  Since the accident, he tired easily, but he was getting better.  The strength was returning and his leg was not as stiff.  

The doctors did a wonderful job on fixing his leg.  Dr. Peterson explained how bad it had been damaged, what they did to it, and told him there was a good chance that he would still limp slightly after it was fully healed.  Until he got full strength back in his leg, the doctor told him to use a cane and do the therapy exercises.

Trowa looked at Quatre's welcome home gift.  He ran his ran his thumb over its carved wooden handle.  

"You feeling alright, Trowa?" Catherine asked as she pushed a clump of curls away from her face.

Trowa stopped fingering the wooden cane head and looked into her tender face.

"Just tired," he answered.

"Well, maybe you can take a rest," she smiled.  "Duo, what is the game plan?"

"We rest now," he said before stretching out on the other bed with hand tucked under his head and elbows level with his ears.  "It has been a long drive with little sleep," Duo yawned.  "After that, I do what we came here to do."

Trowa followed Duo's example and lay down on the bed.

Catherine removed their belongings from the foot of the bed before pulling back the covers and slipping under them beside Trowa.  She pulled them snuggly around her as she curled up on her side.

Trowa stared up at the ceiling with his mind flitting from one topic to another until it landed on Cathy.  He glanced beside him at her back.  Her auburn curls sprawled across the pillow and over the blanket.

He had not realized how he missed her presence in his daily life until she had returned.  From his first days at the circus, she set down roots in his life and slowly weaved her vines into his soul.  She had clamed a part of him and filled the void of family Trowa had not missed at the time.  A smile tugged at the corners of his face at the since of belonging and family.

He knew of Catherine's own loss and felt fortunate that she adopted him, despite his loner attitude when he first joined the circus.  

"Hey, you are supposed to be sleeping," Catherine said after rolling over and seeing his eyes open.

"Yes, Mom," Trowa tonelessly said and received a light slug before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

~

Duo parked the car along the road in the run down part of town and started to get out.

"I'll go with you," Trowa offered.

"No, you won't!" Catherine said.  "You might be well enough to get around, but not fighting.  You stay with the car, and I will go with Duo."

"I would have to agree with her there, buddy.  I am sure you could hold your own, but I would rather you didn't end up back in the hospital," Duo said.  "And, you," he added pointing at Catherine, "can stay too."

"I'm going," she said obstinately.

"No," Duo insisted.

~

Duo and Catherine entered a crumbling building into the front office.  Through the glass window, men working on equipment and moving things around could be seen in the warehouse like room beyond.

"May I help you?" asked a man.

Duo sashayed to the desk the man was sitting at while Catherine innocently admired the rest of the small rundown office.

"A friend of mine said you might have a certain piece of hardware I was looking for," Duo answered.

"I might," the man said wearily.  "I deal in a variety of items.  What are you looking for?"

"I am interested in a stealth suit," Duo grinned.

"Those are hard to come by.  What make you think I might have one?"

"Friend in the scrap parts business gave me your name as a possibility," Duo coolly said studying the dirt under his nails.

"Yeah, your friend have a name?" the man asked.

"Yeah, but you probably don't know him.  He got your name through his network."

"Well, I think your friend is misinformed," the man determinedly said.

"So you have never had a stealth suit or the parts to repair or build one?" Duo asked.

The man seemed agitated at the question.

"No!  I don't deal in that sort of stuff," he insisted.  "I think it is time for you to go!"

"Alright," said Duo raising his arms in surrender and tilting his head slightly to the man.  "If you don't have what I'm looking for, then we will leave.  Come on babe," Duo said snaking an arm around Catherine's waist as he directed her out the door.

~

Trowa was leaning against the side of the car slowly rolling his cane about eye level in one hand as they returned.

"What happened here?" asked Duo motioning to the two boys out cold on the sidewalk.

"They thought a car with one individual would be easy to take for a joy ride," answered Trowa looking up at them.  "I will have to tell Quatre his gift has many uses," Trowa said with a hint of amusement.

"They wanted this old thing?" Duo said in surprise at the news.  "Boy, they must be really hard up."

Duo walked around to the driver's door while Catherine carefully stepped over the fallen teens and into the car.

"What now?" asked Catherine from the backseat.

"I set up for a stake out for a few days before breaking in," Duo answered as he started the car.   


End file.
